Colombian Presidential Contender Has Successful Surgery After Shooting

Bogota: A prominent Colombian right-wing presidential candidate who was shot during a campaign event in Bogota has successfully undergone initial surgery, the city's mayor said Sunday.

Thirty-nine-year-old Senator Miguel Uribe was speaking to supporters in the capital when a gunman shot him twice in the head and once in the knee before being detained.

A security guard managed to detain the suspected attacker, a minor who is believed to be 15 years old.

Uribe was airlifted to hospital in "critical condition" and underwent a "neurosurgical" and "peripheral vascular procedure," the Santa Fe Clinic in Bogota confirmed.

He "overcame the first surgical procedure," Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan told media, adding that he had entered "the critical hours" of recovery.

Uribe's wife, in an audio recording shared with media, said "he came out well from the surgery."

"He fought the first battle and fought it well. He is fighting for his life," she is heard saying.

Images from the scene of the shooting showed Uribe slumped against the hood of a white car, smeared with blood, as a group of men tried to hold him and stop the bleeding.

The suspect was injured in the affray and was receiving treatment, said police director Carlos Fernando Triana.

Two others -- a man and a woman -- were also wounded, and a Glock-style firearm was seized.

"Our hearts are broken, Colombia hurts," Carolina Gomez, a 41-year-old businesswoman, told AFP as she lit candles and prayed for Uribe's health.

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